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COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBM 27, 1897.
WnOLE NUMBER 1,433.
VOLUME XXVIII. NUMBER .29.
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, -CALIFORNIA JOE."
(By W. F. Cody.)
X 1874 I was acting
as guide to the Big
Horn Mountain ex
pedition against the
Indians, of which
Gen. Anson Mills
was in command.
One day we were
marching along the
very summit o the
big divide between
the Big Horn and
the Powder rivers and came to a
halt to rearrango the pack-train, sad
dles and so forth. We were fully 400
aniles from the living place of any hu
man beings. So when all of a sudden
we saw a man on the hills at a dis
tance in the rear we watched him
pretty sharply. He was on horseback,
traveling quietly along in the same
direction we were headed. Gen. Mills
asked mo if I had any of my men
out. I had none, and we made up our
minds that it was an Indian.
As we drew nearer, however, I saw
It was a white man, and in a few
minutes I recognized my old acquaint
ance, California Joe. And a curious
spectacle to behold he was. He was
mounted on a tough, battercd-up look
ing old bronco with a saddle that look
ed as though it might have seen ser
vice since the days of the Forty-niners.
His dirty buckskin leggings had been
o shrunken by frequent wettings and
dryings that they were drawn up above
xne tops of his boots and nearly to his
knees. His boot heels were so worn
down that they were nearly obliterated
and his buckskin shirt was a maze of
grease and dirt. He had a Navajo
blanket and an old blue army overcoat
strapped to his saddle, while on one
Bide of the bronco there dangled a
piece of raw elk meat. His rifle was
an old Hawkins muzzleloader.
"Hello, Joe," I shouted as soon as
he wa within hearing. "Where in
the world are you going, away off
here?"
"Oh. nowheres In pertickler," he re
plied; "Jest out fer a mornin' ride."
Gen. Mills and the officers Imd heard
of Joe, and when I introduced him all
round they greeted him very warmly.
They pressed him with questions and
I did the came. But it was no use.
We could get nothing out of him save
that ha was "jest out fer a mornin'
ride," as he had said when I first hail
ed him.
."Well, Joe," I said at last, 'don't
you want to go along with us?"
"Waal. 1.0." he said slowly; "least
wise unless you've got some terbaccer.
I don't travel with no Government out
fit unless they've got terbaccer."
Tobacco was rather scarce in the
command.but such of the officers as had
any contributed their mite, and Joe
was dipplied temporarily and agreed
to go with us. His knowledge of the
country made him invaluable as a
guide, although he was generally trail
ing along behind with the soldiers,
HOW THE OLD
swapping his lies for tobacco for Joe
was r notorious expert at drawing the
long bow.
He kept along with us without event
for several days, until rather late one
afternoon, when we were nearing
Cloud Peak, In the Big Horn Mount
ains. I had dropped back to ask Gen.
Mills about how many miles further
on we would go before camping, and
found Joe, as usual, retailing a yarn
for a chew of tobacco. While talking
with Gen. Mills we noticed that the
advance guard had come to a halt and
were examining something on the
ground with every appearance of great
interest It was an unusual thing for
the advance guard to stop for anything.
60 that our curiosity was greatly
aroused to know what it was which
they were looking at. It proved to be
only a grave, but a grave made with
such care, so beautifully and heavily
covered with stones to keep out the
prowling wolves, that it told a very
touching little story of its own of de
voted friendship.
As we s-tood grouped about it Joe
came up. He looked at the grave for
a moment, and then suddenly dashed
his greasy coyote-skin cap on th9
ground, and in a voice that thrilled
curiously in contrast with his usual
listless drawl, he cried cut:
"At last!"
It was some time before he would
answer any of the questions that were
fired at him, but finally, in response to
an Inquiry by Gen. Mills, he said:
"Do I know anything about that
grave? Waal. I reckon I do. bein as
I helped make it myselL"
A d then he told h:s story, slowly
ar.'I with a good deal of dramatic pow-
The name he cae as being tha
mtiSStOSJJf 'Jiff J?TTfZ?j$?&- f ' j V Vj-fe', fijjtt
K'ttCrCsma'W
lliSaWJIt asWS-XfinnBBWBV Was?3BBBuliJI;Vfl
of the occupant of the grave has now
slipped my mind.
"The man in this grave," he said,
"was one of a party of us that was
trappln and prospectin' ever so long
ago at the mouth of the Columbia riv
er; doin' a little work for the Astors
trappln and doin' a little work for
ourselves trappin. But there wasn't
no lead in sight up that way that
promised to pan out, so we all allowed
we'd strike back towards the Missouri
river, prospectin as we went along.
"We went through Idaho and Mon
tana and worked along in western
Wyoming. One day while we was
goln slowly along down a tributary of
the Shoshone river, all of a sudden wo
see suthln glittering in the bed of the
stream. Nuggets! That's what they
was. Big and little yeller nuggets
scattered around In the bottom of the
stream. No man livin' ever seen the
like of L We never stopped to bother
about our broncos: We- jest splashed
Into that stream hands and feet and
began elawin' out them nuggets. In
less'n half an hour we had the bank
heaped up and scattered all about with
'cm.
"Then we thought about the broncos,
and all I need to tell you is that we
loaded down the broncos and loaded
down ourselves with them gold nug
gets until we couldn't carry another
ounce. We threw away everything we
had and could get along without and
took nuggets on In its place. Then we
struck out Our plan was to get to
the Missouri and then build a raft and
float down to St Louis, and we did.
only when we got right where we are
now standing the man lyin' under them
stuns took sick all of a suddent and In
two hours he was dead. We burled
him and fixed that grave jest the way
you see it now. Xothin's ever touched
It. That I'd swear to."
"Well," asked one of the officers,
"what did you do with your nuggets?"
"Oh, I cashed mine in St. Louis, went
to Xew York, and from there went to
Paris. It was nearly two years before
the last of it was gone. Then I got
over to England and worked ray way
round to the Pacific coast on a sallin
ship."
Gen. Mills lips were trembling with
suppressed laughter as Joe wound up
his yarn, for he knew the old man's
reputation as a liar. At last he con
trolled himself and said gravely:
"Joe, you said every man and every
bronco was carrying all the gold pos
sible." "That's the fact, Colonel."
"Couldn't have carried another ounce
among you?" continued the officer.
"Not an ounce." said Joe.
"Well, now. if that's the case, Joe,
what did you do with all the nuggets
that belonged to this man here in the
grave?"
"That's jest the pint, Colonel," said
Joe, eagerly. "That's jest the pint.
What did wc do with all that man's
nuggets? Why, we buried I hem with
him and they are right there In that
there grave now, and there's $100,000
MAX DID LAUGH.
worth of them if there's a cent Tha's
wy I'v been lookin fer that grave for
the last twenty years; that's why I
wouldn't tell you only that I was jest
out fer a mornin' ride when you all
wanted to know where I was goin;
that's why it all bust out of me in a
heap when I seen the grave and I
slammed my coyote-skin down on the
ground and said I'd got there at last"
Fully a hundred soldiers had caught
enough of Joe's yarn to be pretty well
stirred up by it and notwithstanding
the old man's awful reputation as a
liar, the circumstances of his trium
phant expression when he first caught
sight of the grave as well as his earn
estness of manner and the circumstan
tial detail of his story all this had
more effect even on some of the offi
cers than they cared to admit, and
more than one wistful eye went sneak
ing back to the lonely grave when the
order was given and the command re
sumed its march.
I won't deny that I was a good deal
interested myself, and when we camp
ed that night, a few miles further on,
I kept a sharp eye on Joe's movements.
I fully believed he would take the first
chance to sneak off to that grave. I
didn't know whether he had noticed
my watching him and had given up
trying to slip away from me or not,
but pretty soon he gave me a wink
and in a few minutes we were out of
sight, talking together.
"Look here, Bill," he said as soon
as we were alone, "do you want to see
some fun?"
"Of course I do," I replied.
"Well, then, you come along with
me; we can make a sneak right now,"
said Joe.
"But," I replied, "don't we need any
thing? Don't we need a pick or" -
Joe looked at me with a grave, al
most melancholly expression for a mo
ment before he replied. Then he said
slowly:
"N no. I guess we can get along
without any pick."
He led the way and I followed. He
started In the opposite direction from
the grave, but, as I thought would be
the case, he gradually began to circle
around, until finally we were among
some boulders overlooking the spot
where the dust of the dead man was
mouldering away among his buried
treasure. It was a starlight night and
we could see the gleam of the gray
stones on the grave quite clearly. I
was beginning to get quite in a fever
to begin the resurrection business at
once.
"Now," said Joe, "you jest squat
yourself behind that there boulder fer
awhile and you'll see more dura fun
than you ever seen in your life be
fore." "But," I said, "what"
"What?" broke in Joe. "What?
Why, in less than an hour you'll see
half that camp come prowlin around
here with picks and shovels and jack
knives rippin' up the ground around
that stone heap like a pack of pawin'
buffalo bulls."
"Yes, but why don't we cut in now,"
I urged, "and get out the gold ahead
of them?"
"Gold be durned," said Joe, con
temptuously. "I never set eyes on that
cussed grave afore this mornin'."
Well, Joe was right Before we had
been there half an hour shadowy forms
began stealing in and out of the gloom.
They came singly, they came in pairs
and they came in groups of three and
four, and such a clattering of picks
miuu lusaiug ui uui as lucjf uiuue:
l ney aug up aoout nan an acre or
earth before one after another, wheez
ing and blowing with the work, knock
ed off and melted away in the dark
ness, out of which they had emerged,
leaving a sulphurous trail of lan
guage devoted to old Joe behind them.
And how the old man did laugh
holding his sides and grinding his face
into the ground to stifle the noise.
As for me, it was not altogether
such fun as it was for Joe. I couldn't
help thinking as I watched the luna
tic's antics that it was only an acci
dent that I was not a conspicuous star
among them.
Yet I would have had good company.
There were officers among them as well
as privates.
Joe died with his boots on. Some
body shot and killed him at the Red
Cloud agency in 1874.
There Are Others,
Sprockett Aladdin's lamp wasnt so
wonderful after all. Baring Why do
you think so. Sprockett Why, any
night I can make a policeman appear
by simply blowing out my lamp.
PERSONAL.
Verdi has handed over to his friend
Bolto a box containing the complete
score of an opera, which is not to bo
opened till the great composer is dead.
President Kruger has presented a
rare specimen of native gold to the
Royal Geological Museum at Berlin.
The gift is said to be worth about
300.
It is stated that Mr. Cecil Rhodes
will soon return to London, his pres
ence being necessary in connection
with the settlement of certain difficul
ties arising out of the titles to land In
Rhodesia.
The king of Siam is in England, and
there is a discussion over his name. It
is commonly supposed to be Chulalong
korn, but a member of the Athenaeum
writes to the London Times to protest
that this is a "mistransllteration." The
real name, he says, is Kulalankaram.
Thomas Jefferson Sappington, who
died a few days ago near St Louis,
boasted he once saved General Grant
from capture by the confederates.
Some men were lying in ambush for
the general, but Sappington learned of
their plans and warned Grant in time.
Sergeant Egen of the Boston police
force has been admitted to the bar. He
entered the Boston university law
school in 1894. and was graduated cum
laude last year. A few weeks later
he passed the examination for the Suf
folk county bar with honor. Ho has
been on the police force fifteen years.
He was born in Boston in 1858.
M. Limbourg, one of the testamen
tary executors of the late Due d'Au
xnale. has. in a letter to the French in
stitute, given some interesting partic
ulars about the value of the Chantilly
estate. Since the year 1886 it appears
that books, manuscripts, pictures, and
various works of art amounting to
nearly 59.000 have been added to the
Conde museum. The total value of the
collection is now appraised at 600,000.
The library alone, comprising 13.000
rare volumes and 15,000 less valuable
books and manuscripts, is worth 20,
000. FOR THE CURIOUS.
Twenty years ago England had 11,
619 male and 14,901 female school
teachers. Last year there were 66,310
female, and only 26,270 male teachers.
Frenchmen in Mexico have started a
movement to create funds for the erec
tion of a monument to mark the spot
where Emperor Maximilian was shot
Washington, D. C, has long been a
mecca for Southern negroes. Accord
ing to the latest census of the city,
there were 88,000 negroes in a total
population of 277,000.
The seraglio at Constantinople is a
group of palaces belonging to the sul
tan. It is a triangle three miles round
and contains more than 100 buildings,
some of great splendor.
A messenger boy of the Western
Union office In Brantford, Conn., is 8?
years old, and recently walked twentj
miles to deliver a message, for which
he received the sum of 81.
It is shown by the annual report ot
one of the largest mining companies in
Colorado that since the organizatir n ol
the company the average ccst of pro
ducing $1 in gold has been 37 cents.
In the early days of the eighteenth
century the consumption of beer in
England amounted to forty-threi gal
lons per inhabitant In 1888 the pro
portion stood at twenty-seven gallons.
The popularity of precious stones
now Is the pearl first, the ruby
ond and the diamond third.
POLITICAL SENSATION
ACTINO - GOVERNOR RANSOM
CHARGES FRAUD
la Open Court at Omaha He Contends
that Fraud Wu Committed by Governor
Bolcomb When He Approved Hartley'
Straw Bond Offers to Show that Uol
comb Knew of Hartley's Shortage
Meserve's Bond Worthless Several of
His Larcest Sureties Have Left the
State.
reserve's Record In Bed Willow Coaaty.
The condition of the state treasury
was the one particular thing most
talked about by Governor Holcomb in
his campaign for governor three years
ago He would reform the business of
the state treasury. That's what he
would. He canvassed -the state and at.
the farmer picnics he was a bold re
former. He taught the people that the
treasury had not been properly pro
tected, that its funds were not propeily
managed, and that he was the one par
ticular man who would attend to that
particular business if elected. So per
sistent was he in his discussion of the
state treasury and so prodigal was lie
of brave promises that the public
learned in that campaign to look upon
him and to style him as '"the watch
dog of the public money." Whatever
grievances had been ta the past, Hol
comb would reform the treasury when
he got into power. Enough of the peo
ple believed in this proud boaster to
elect him, and the farmeis said among
themselves, "Xow the 'reastiry is safe,
for Holcomb is in the chair." Tho
farmers understood then, as they do
now, that the business of securing the
nttV.lt mnnov hv ennnri tnnsillpr'S
bond was the governor's business, and
. tney knew tnat if that business was
i property anenueu 10 mere cuuiu uv uu
loss to tne tax-payers wneiner uiu
state treasurer was honest or not. I lie
people bad elected the treasurer believ
ing him to be an honest man, but they
did not depend upon his honesty, they
depended upon the bond, and they bad
elected a governor whose duty it was
to require n bond, and they believed
that he would perform that duty. He
was commanded to do it by the law.
I and he would surely obey the law, but
be was bound to perform this duty,
and it rested upon his conscience with
tenfold force by reason of his promises
at the country picnics, and because he
was no ordinary governor but a reform
governor, the leader of a reform party,
and its only representative in the state
house. The treasury was the one par
ticular thing which he had discussed
in his campaign was the one particu
lar thing above all others that needed
reform and now, as he entered upon
the duties of his first term the first
thing presented to him for his official
action was an opportunity to reform
the treasury. If any part of the public
funds had been misappropriated, here
was the opportunity for him to make
the discovery by counting the money,
as the law directs, and if the treasury
had not been properly secured in the
past, as ho had charged in his speeches,
here was an opportunity for him tu
commence his reform and to make tho
treasury safe in the future. It now
transpires that Hartley's half million
default had commenced then, and that
the governor knew it. Not only had
the default commenced, but the gov
ernor, knowing it, permitted Bartley
on entering his second term to file a
spurious bond, from which not a dollar
can be collected, and he permitted this
defaulting treasurer to continue in
office two years, himself remaining
silent, refusing to count the money as
the law directed, holding out to the
people by his certificate on the bond
that it was genuine. A few days ago,
at Omiha,Hon. Frank, T. Ransom, pop
ulist senator from Omaha, president
pro tem. of the populist senate, chair
man of the so-called free-silver re
publican state committee, while acting
governor, charged in open court that
Governor Holcomb had committed this
fraud, and gave that as a reason to
the court why the innocent sureties
who had signed the bond should be ex
cused. "A fraud has been commit
ted," said Ransom. "That fraud was
committed by the governor of the state
of Nebraska and by Joseph S. Bariley.
John H. Ames, one of the sureties, ,
stated to the court that he had signed
the Bartley bond relying upon the gov- '
crnor, that he was a lawyer and knew
his duty, that he was an honest man
who would keep his oath, that he had
counted the money as the law directs,
and that the condition of the treasury
was then sound. Here we have Acting-Governor
Ransom charging a
fraud upon Acting-Governor Holcomb
which calls for his impeachment and
removal from office.
The last republican state convention
denounced Bartley and Moore who
had betrayed the republican party. The
republican press of the state has been
unsparing in its criticism of these re
publican betrayers, and no republican
voter has offered to excuse or palliate
one iota of their guilt. In this the re
publican party shows its honesty of
conscience. We will now see whether
the reform press and the voters of the
reform party will longer stultify their
reform cause by covering up and apol
ogizing for the governor's rascality,
aa they have covered up and apolo
gired for this shameless administra
tion from the very hour which it took
charge of the state government the
first of this year.
But this is not the only bond fraud
which Governor Holcomb has perpe
trated upon the Nebraska people.
Meserve's bond is as rotten and
worthless as Bartley's second bond.
The governor knew it when he ap
proved it and when he certified to the
people the falsehood that it was a gen
uine bond. Not only was it worthless
when it was presented by Meserve and
approved by the governor, but nearly
ail of the larger signers have since dis
posed of their property, and several of
them have abandoned the state leav
ing no available assets behind. Not
only this, but Meserve's career prior
!., -M-I:r rhanre of the state treas
ury in tsuch as to arouse suspicion and
call for the closest scrutiny of his sure
ties. His induction into the county '
treasuryship at McCook was brought
about by his creditors there, to whom
he was heavily indebted, and the rec
ords of Red Willow county show that
within the space of a little more than '
a year while he was county treasurer
he paid off $24,000 of indebtedness,
although his salary was but $2,000 per
annum. Who Is carrying this indebt
edness now? He paid his private cred
itors; that much appears from the ,
county records. Where did he get the
money? What would have been his
relation to Red Willow county had he
not been elected state treasurer? What l
would be his relation to the state to
day If the governor should require of
him an accounting now? Will the
jgovernor require this accounting? ,
Will he require a new bond in lieu of !
the worthless bond unde.r which the
state treasurer now holds' office?
There must be somewhere some con- i
science among the rank and file of
populist voters. If this election passes
nilUVUl s UAUUC9iaUUU Ui IIUA IUU1
1 coMciac U .the populist party it caa
never again lift up its head and ask
for- the respect or the votes of Ne
braska pe5bl?t
Several times in the lifst&ry of Ne
braska the republican press has united
in scourging republican offenders and
making their actions odious be
fore the public. There never has been
at any time in the history of the state
what could be Justly styled a subservi
ent republican press. At no time when
the republican party was in power has
it been dominated by a state house
ring 60 powerful that not a single re
publican paper dared to lift its voice
in protest A year ago liow the re
publican press was outspoken against
Bartley's influence in the republican
party. The republican newspapers
voiced the demand of republican voters
all over the state that Bartley should
not be a controlling factor in shaping
tho party politics. All this is fresh in
the mind of the people to-day. When
Bartley's shortage was first hinted at
but not fully established, not a single
republican attempted to shield or ex
cuse. hinr. Republicans with one nui-
lYersarvbtce said:" "Let no guilty man
escape." In all this the republican
party shows its conscience and its
natural instinct for square politics and
honest administration.
What has the populist press said or
done to purge the reform party from
the actions of the rotten ring at tho
state house? Look at the disgraceful
spectacle presented by the last reform
legislature. Look at the infamous re
count fraud, and the governor's con
nection with it. To carry out this bold
plot they ousted four republican mem
bers from Omaha and one senator,
making no pretense that there was
any reason except that they needed
that many votes to pass the recount
measure with the emergency clause.
Did any populist newspaper utter a
word of protest against this infamous
thing while It was being carried on?
It would be difficult to find in history
an instance where there was such uni
versal and general consent by a polit
ical party and all its officials and its
press to a plot that was revolutionary
and lawless in every feature. That
recount matter will always remain a
dark spot in Nebraska's history. It is
all the darker for the reason that the
populist press was silent and uttered
no protest against it. Tako the $10,
000 investigating committee. Here are
five members of the legislature draw
ing pay for two years at the rate of
91,500 per annum, and for this they
render no equivalent to the public, and
make no pretense to usefulness except
as they trump up political capital for
the reform movement. The members
of this committee make no pretense
that they are qualified for the business
of examining records or accounts.
What a spectacle this man Mutz has
made of himself as chairman of this
investigating committee. And yet no
populist newspaper has offered to crit
icise him.
Look out over the state and you will
sec a trail of defalcations wherever
populists have been in county offices,
but you will read no criticism against
these defalcations in the populist press.
In Lancaster county the populist clerk
of the district court robbed the county,
but no populist newspaper nor no pop
ulist convention has condemned him.
In Custer county, the home of Governor
IJoloomb, a populist plundortxl tho
county treasury, but because this treas
urer was Holcomb's friend, no word of
censure has ever been uttered against
lim by any populist newspaper or any
lopuii'st convention. Another county
cfficial in Custer county defaulted. The
default was published by the commis
sioners, the public knew it, but the re
form party in Custer county carries the
name of that official to-day as its can
didate fer county judge. The reform
county committee out there have de
manded his withdrawal from the
ticket, but because he Is Holcomb's
friend, he remains on the ticket and
the populist voters there are whipped
Into line by the bosses demanding his
support. In Merrick county, the home
of Secretary of State Porter, the treas
urer plundered the county to the
amount of 530,000, but neither Secre
tary Porter, the populist press, or the
populist conventions of that county
have dared to criticise It. In Platte
county, the home of Judge Sullivan,
the treasurer stole $30,000 but neither
Judge Sullivan or the other democratic
officials of the county have lifted; so
xrurh as a little finzer to proocurt '"
offender. Not only does this Platte
county defaulter go scot free from
prosecution and free from criticism,
but his brother, who was intimately
associated with him when the default
was committed, has been promoted to
a public office at the state house under
Land Commissioner Wolfe, because he
is the son-in-law of United States Sen
ator Allen. A populist treasurer
robbed Hamilton county and his son
was indicted for burning the court
house there, but through the influence
of Congressman Stark and others the
prosecution was nollied and the
guilty man allowed to escape; not only
to escape punishment, but to escape
criticism from the populist press and
the populist conventions of that
county. In Gosper county a populist
plundered the treasury and burned the
court house and the records, escaping
without punishment and without criti
cism. There is not space here to re
count the long list of populist defalca
tions which have occurred in the last
four or five years. In York county four
township treasurers defaulted, but you
do not read of these defalcations in the
populist press, and you do not hear ot
them in the resolutions passed by the
populist conventions there.
Where is the conscience of the re
form party? Where is its honesty?
Wherein does it show the reform that
it promised the people? Where is the
reform that was promised us as to
pass-grabbing and junketing? No po
litical party, no set of politicians in
any state, have made so disgraceful a
spectacle as the populists have made j
in this state in the last few months t
along this line, and yet no mention of
this is made in any populist paper or
in the resolutions of any populist con
vention. These state officials have
junketed in all directions. Look at the
disgraceful conduct of the state aud- i
itor. What reform paper has criticised J
him? What reform convention has j
denounced him? Where are the fraud- ,
ulent tally-sheets of the fraudulent j
recount which Kedlund exposed, and ,
for which he was removed by the '
governor from the recount commis
sion? Where is the investigating com
mitter with its $10,000 appropriation,
that it has not investigated this fraud,
broug'it out so conspicuously before
the public, pointed out so explicitly by
Hedluud, and attaching its wicked con
spiracy to the very person of the gov
ernor? All these things are in line
with the governor's conduct as to
Bartley's spurious bond and the other
spurious bond of Meserve. What set
of party leaders have before shown
such utter disregard for the rank and
file of the party? These reform offi
cials treat their followers as if they
were dumb cattle; as if they had no
self-respect; as if they would follow
blindly any set of political shysters if
only they posed as reformers.
They promised to raise the valuation
of railroad property. They taught the
people for Bix years that railroad prop
erty was assessed too low. They made
the people believe It It was a lie, but
they made the people believe it. There
has. never beta a r.ear alra Nebraska
had railroads that the railroad prop
erty was not assessed at a higher valu
ation in proportion than other prop
erty, and yet these reformers pre
tended that the people had been
wronged in this matter, and that they
would right the wrong as soon as they
got into power. Did they do it? No!
When the opportunity came thoy pet
tifogged and caueusea and pretended
for a whole week that they were
gravely considering how to carry out
the pledges they had made, and then
ended their .'arce' by leaving the rail
road assessment as it li'ad been be
fore. They pretended that they would
control the corporations as to rates.
They Would regulate telephone and
telegraph Companies. They would re
duce telephone rates for the benefit of
the down-trodden farmer', who never
uses a telephone. But have they don
it? They passed a law authorizing the
state board of transportation to regu
late these things, but they have not
enforced the law, and they make no
pretense of enforcing it. They cannot
enforce it It was unconstitutional
when they passed it and they knew It
Their law provides a fee to the at
torney general for every case which he
brings against the railroad, and this
thing alone makes it unconstitutional,
because the constitution says that no
state officer can have his salary raised
while ho is in office. They knew that
this railroad law would be heid uncon
stitutional, and the railroads winked
the other eye when it Was passed.
These boasting reformers think that
they can fool the people year after
year by advertising what they are
going to do, and by pretending to do
something which they know will be
unconstitutional, and then they appeal
to the people and say that they were
hindered by republican courts and by
injunctions.
And now the question of Meserve's
straw bond is knocking at the door.
What will the governor o about it?
What will he do about the ugly charge
which Acting-Governor Ransom has
made against him in open court? Will
he go on counting his annual passes
and his Pullman passes, arranging for
another junket to the "red apple
country?" And will he attempt to
sooth Nebraska people with another
chapter from Mutz, the investigator?
How much of this Mutz will populist
voters endure without protest? How
long will they endure the humiliation
which the state house gang is heaping
upon them without making some dem
onstration of their disannroval?
TOOK A MEAN
ADVANTAGE.
Encased Mas Insisted on KUslnff
Ills
I'lancee In a .Street Car.
A rnnnff nmn nnil a rnnnw ivnmjin
changed "from a Belt lino to a Four- i
teenth street car at the avenue,
Washington, and sat in one of the
scats in the first car. He was carry
ing an overcoat and a satchel and was
evidently goinr away. She wore a
shirt waist and dark skirt, as if start
ing out on a shopping1 expedition.
Just before they reached Sixth street
ho leaned over her and said quietly,
so quietly that only the reporter back
of them could hear: "I am going to
kiss you good-by when I leave the
car."
"Oh, pleaso don't," she said appeal-
ingly; "not before all these people.
But he was decided and said per- '
sistently: "Yes I shall; so raise your
veil. If you try to resist people will
see it and wonder about you, and
they will look at you all the way up
town after I get off."
She glanced up shyly and then
slowly raised her veil. He bent over
her and kissed her and no ono in tho
car looked up. A few- people won
dered why she was so anxious to show
tho diamond ring on the left hand,
butnabody but the reporter appre
ciated the fact that she was trying to
justify the kissing by means of an en
tragement rinsr.
Troublesome Cracked fiilver Coin.
The stamping machines at the gov
ernment mints, embodying as they do
all tho best inventions obtainable, yet
do not do their work with absolute per
fection in every instance. Occasionally
a silver dollar is turned out with a
trilling defect, and then tho coin caused
moro trouble, many times over than it
is worth. This imperfection is a slight
crack in the edge of tho coin, which is
likely to escaoe the notice of any ordi
nary scrutiny, but like the rift in tho
lute of which tho poet sings, it makes
the dollar's music mute.
The commonest way to test a silver
coin to find out whether it is a counter
feit or not is to drop on a tsiblc or
counter. If it has a clear ring it is
Mipposed to be good. As a matter of
fact some counterfeit coins, now eur
rent. which are made of antimony and
tin, have a sound almost identical with
that of a real silver dollar. What
makes this test more uncertain is tho
fact that a real silver dollar with tho
little rift sounds as if it were lead when
dropped. The opening destroys its
jingle just as- a crack destroys tho
melodiousness of a bell.
Why Ho Didn't Kl Her.
The prosecuting attorney in the
breach of promise case thouirht ho
would make life a burden to the un
fortunate young man who was the
unwilling defendant "Do you mean
to say," he asked after a lot of embar
rassing questions, "you did not kiss
the plaintiff, to whom 3'ou were en
gaged to be married, when yon first
saw her on your return?" "I do," re
sponded the defendant firmlu-. "Will
you make the statement to the jury?"
"Certainly, if necessary." "Do you
think thoy would believe you?" "One
of them would, I know." "Ah, indeed.
And whj- he, pray?" ISccause he was
present when I first saw her. He was
at the gate when I rolc up, and she
stuck her head out of the second story
window and I told her 'how d'ye,' and
said I'd be back to suppsr in half an
hour. I'm no giraffe," and everybody
in the court room smiled except the
attorney.
Instructive Little Story.
You don't amount to much,"1 said
the bridge, boastingly, to the rough
looking pile of stonework on which it
rested. "All you aro good for is to
stand down there in the water. Peo
ple come from miles around to admiro
my handsome proportions, my light
ness and strength, and to wonder how
much I cost. If it wasn't for me no
body would cross the river. I'm the
bridge myself. That's what I am.
You are nothing but a heap of rocks."
"That may be true," replied the
rough-looking pile of stonework. "But
no matter how high you hold your
head, nor how fine and smart you think
you are, I want you to understand I
consider myself your pier!"
This story teaches, dear children,
that nothing is more important than
to have a good undargtandlng.
ICE AND COLD PRUNES
BILL OF FARE OF CAFTIVB
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS.
l rarty That Brok Every Rccordt
and Is I'rooJ or It, Althoaca
It Dld'at Set Oat With That Object
ta Vlsw.
HREE women from
Sumer, Pierce
county, Wash.,were
made prisoners by
a terrific storm on
Mount Tacoma re
cently, and they
broke the record
for the length of
time spent in ice
caves and snow
banks, three miles
above tha sea. They were hemmed in
by Ice and 'snow, and were it not for
the heaviest flannels, stockings, shoes
and wraps they would have frozen to
death inside of ten hours. Mrs. J. E.
Mitchell, Miss Josie Query aud Miss
Jean McFarland were the women who
broke the high summer residence rec
ord. They were accompanied by Mr.
Mitchel and Sergeant Hall, the latter
being a resident of Puyallup. Their
imprisonment caused their friends the
greatest anxiety, but nothing could be
done to assist them until after tho
storm, which hrnk into hurricane
1u3t thv rpfW1 fho climm.f of tha
mountain, had subsided. But until tho
storm finally did subside the two
things that kept soul and body together
on tho mountain were the juice of a
few prunes and the little warmth that
came up through the core of the great
pile In the form of steam. Some of tho
prunes were taken with the Mitchell
party and some of them were found
there, having been left by the Maza-
smelling of sulphur and brimstone, and
reminding those who enjoy its warmth
that Mount Tacoma was once upon a
time nothing more than a huge smoke
stack three miles high. When the
Mitchell party started for their event
ful trip the sky was clear and not un
til they were well up were tiicre any
indications of the approaching storm.
It was then too late for the party to
retreat All the climbers could do was
to press on and on until they reached
the 6ummlt exhausted. Once over tho
rim of the great crater the mountain
eers hurried on to the ice caves wheie
the steam oozes up from the interior of
the earth. The sun was sinking low,
and darkness was coming on, but the
climbers had little fear. They expect
ed the storm to pass before morning,
and then they would descend in safe
ty. They huddled together about a
large opening where the steam came up
from below with considerable force.
There, too, they chatted and made mer
ry A fpw nrnnpi wero half r.rl;pd
over the steam, and a few hard-tack
crackers were softened by holding
them where tho steam would reach
them.
This bill of fare was unchanged dur
ing their stay on the mountain, which
lasted three nights and four days. Be
fore the last day everything had been
devoured, and they were nearly dead
when they escaped from their icy oris
on. On the second day the storm in
creased in violence. TI13 men went to
the rim of the crater with the intention
of seeing if it was not possible for them
to escape by crawling down the sido
of the mountain. They found the
force of the wind so great th?t It
rolled their bodies back off the rim
like so many straws. Gradually hun
ger began to assert itself, and on the
third day every prune and every piece
of hardtack was devoured. The clothes
of the members of the party had be
come moist by contact with the steam,
and when the moist side was turned
away from the warmth of the steam the
moisture turned to frost am1 ice.
Their evenings seemed to take th. form
of a huge animal with great teeth that
snapped and bit every time the impris
oned mountain climbers turned around.
Hunger stood on one side ready to
gnaw out their vitals, while on the
other side stood Jack Frost ready to
sting and stiffen their limbs. After
eating their last crumb on the third day
the climbers crept to the rim of tho
crater and looked about. The storm
had left the top of the mountain, but
was raging still on the lower levels.
Nothing could be seen of the surround
ing country but tho tops of Mount
Adams, Mount Baker. Mount Hood,
Mount Jefferson and what appeared to
be Mount Shasta, could be seen. On
the fourth morning of their captivity
the Mitchell party decided to scramble
down the mountain side, although tha
wind was blowing at the rate of fifteen
miles an hour. The women were fas
tened to the life line and Mr. Mitchell
cut holes In the Ice for a distance of
over a mile for the women to step in.
In that way seven and a half hours of
painful work were required to cover
the distance that had been traversed
in ascending in -10 minutes. At the
snow line the Mitchell party met a Ma
zama rescue party that had been or
ganized to rescue them.
Sagacity of tho Walrus.
It is an evidence of the extreme
sagacity of the walrus that it is rare
ly caught unawares. "When herds are
sleeping on ice-flces there Is always at
least one on the watch, ready to give
the alarm at the approach of danger;
and, when this is given, not many mo
ments elapse ere the whole herd have
tumbled into the water.
When out of the water they are very
clumsy and cumbersome in their move
ments, but in the water their agility is
truly surprising for animals of such an
unwieldy shape. The simultaneous
ness with which they dive and reap
pear again is remarkable. One moment
you may see a hundred glistening
heads with long gleaming white tusks,
another moment a hundred brown
backs, and the next a hundred pair of
hind flippers, and then all are out of
3lght.
Drawbacks of Wealth.
Weary Watkins "If I had a million
dollars!
Hungry Hlgglns "You'd be miser
able. Jist think of havln' to stop
Irinkin' while you bad money to buy
more." Indianapolis Journal.
No person In Norway may spend
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